1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to human-machine interfaces. More specifically, the present invention relates to a human-machine interface for controlling a radio which eliminates the need for buttons
2. Description of Related Art
Affordance is the ability of an interface to maintain a one-to-one relationship between controls and functions of the interface. Maximizing the affordance of an interface provides intuitive navigation and improves ease of use of the system. Currently, many interfaces have embraced the concept of affordance by associating buttons with different functions of the radio or graphically associating buttons with menu choices.
Today the affordance of many radio systems is limited by the cost of creating individual buttons and controls for each function. Additionally, as the number of controls increase, the cost and space required for the additional controls translates into higher cost and creates implementation problems for the design engineers. Often budget and space constraints drive a reduction in interface optimization, even for high end customers.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for a human-machine interface having better ratio of functionality to user controls.